I don’t know if I could recreate the online path I followed which led to my stumbling upon this exquisitely moving book. This is one of those unsung gems you hope to find and you feel fortunate you did.
Owen and his wife are American expats living in Sweden, where he works as a teacher. In need of a solo getaway, he takes a quick trip to Romania, hoping to get some good hiking in and clear his chaotic brain. But on his first full day, he boards the wrong train and winds up in a small village where tourists don’t usually stop.
Owen has spent his life pretending to be something that he isn’t. He’s hidden his real desires and dreams away to do the “right” thing. But his yearning for authenticity, for the freedom to stop worrying about how he speaks and acts, is beginning to wear on him. And as he has a long wait until another train comes, two separate instances of hospitality and insightful conversation make him realize he needs to be honest—especially with himself.
“Sometimes getting lost is the only way to find where you’re supposed to be.”
This was a tremendously powerful and poignant book that really struck a chord with me. I definitely felt the pressures that Owen did but realized I had to live my life the way I wanted to. It’s not an easy thing to do, and this book captured that internal struggle that so many people deal with. I’ll think about this book for a long while!
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